A judge on Wednesday ruled against the group STOP, which brought a lawsuit to put the city's plan for a new downtown Sacramento arena to a public vote.

A judge on Wednesday ruled against the group STOP, which brought a lawsuit to put the city's plan for a new downtown Sacramento arena to a public vote.

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Updated: 8:12 PM PST Feb 26, 2014

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WEBVTT WE WILL GET TO MARK FINAN COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS. IT LOOKS LIKE SACRAMENTO'S ARENA WILL NOT BE PUT TO A PUBLIC VOTE. KEVIN OLIVER IS LIVE WITH THE JUDGE'S DECISION. THIS WASN'T A HUGE SURPRISE GIVEN THE JUDGE'S STATEMENTS IN COURT LAST FRIDAY WHEN HE BASICALLY SAID THAT HE FAVORED THE CITY'S POSITION IN THIS CASE. BUT HE ISSUED A 14-PAGE RULING. IT BASICALLY PUT IT ALL INTO WRITING. THIS IS WHAT THE JUDGE HAD TO SAY. HE SAID THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN A PETITION PROCESS SO INFECTED WITH ERRORS. HE RULED FIRST AND FOREMOST THAT THE INITIATIVE WAS IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH THE CITY CHARTER AND, REGARDLESS OF THE ERRORS, SHOULD NOT GO ON THE BALLOT. THIS WOULD HAVE PROHIBITED THAT IN THE CASE OF THE ARENA. THE JUDGE ALSO RULED THAT STOP FAILED TO REQUIRED LANGUAGE AND THE NAMES OF THE PROPONENTS IN A NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT WHICH IS ALSO A LEGAL REQUIREMENT. SACRAMENTO TAXPAYERS AGAINST PORK WENT TO COMPEL THE CITY COURT TO PUT THE INITIATIVE ON THE BALLOT. WE JUST TALKED TO JULIETT CAMACHO, ONE OF THE FOUNDERS. HE SAYS THAT HE IS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE DECISION. BUT HE HAS NOT RULED OUT AN APPEAL. SO FAR, "TODAY WE MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER TO CREATING 4000 JOBS, REVITALIZING OUR DOWNTOWN AND GENERATING $11.5 BILLION IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY TO OUR REGION." JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE MAYOR KEVIN JOHNSON PUT OUT A STATEMENT. "WE WILL BUILD THIS ARENA. WE WILL MOVE FORWARD AS A CITY." STOP SAYS THEY STILL HAVE THE OPTION TO APPEAL THIS DECISION. THEY SAY THEY WILL MAKE THAT DECISION IN THE COMING DAYS.

Judge issues decision in Sacramento arena lawsuit

A judge on Wednesday ruled against the group STOP, which brought a lawsuit to put the city's plan for a new downtown Sacramento arena to a public vote.